Joe began swimming at age 3 in Madisonville, KY where he is a member of the Madisonville/North Hopkins Hall of Fame-the first swimmer to be inducted. His age group efforts earned him scholarship offers at several universities, but a recruiting trip to the UALR brought him to Arkansas. He is a 4-year, two sport (swimming & water polo) letterman for UALR. He held team and pool records in breaststroke and as a member of record setting relays. Joe continues to swim with the AR Masters, with several finishes in the top 8 in National competitions, most recently finishing 5th in the 200 Breaststroke at the 2013 Nationals held in Indianapolis.

After their introduction, Mavis was tasked with scoring the first college swimming competition she ever attended; it has been a way of life since then. The Lansdens have volunteered countless hours on the College, High School, Age Group and Summer League levels. They have officiated every UALR home meet - including dual meets, Invitationals, several SunBelt Conference Championships and a National Independent Conference National Championship- since 1995, barring one that was spent instead coaching a High School meet. They have been an influential part of High School swimming in Arkansas for a decade. The duo took on coaching responsibilities at LR Catholic High in 2005 and continued through 2010. After retiring from coaching, they were asked by the governing body for High School sports to stay on as the State Championship Coordinator and Meet Director and still serve as such.

Club swimming in central Arkansas became to recognize the Lansdens as cornerstones of the community. If there was a problem to solve, event or meet, Mavis and Joe most likely contributed on some level. Equipment maintenance, Meet Director, Meet Coordinator, crowd control, swimmer encouragement and even scoreboard repair have all fallen into the Lansden wheelhouse. With countless other unnamed duties on their resumes ,they currently serve on the HS Swimming Advisory Board and the AR Swimming Hall of Fame Committee.

Mavis and Joe spend time away from the pool enjoying the outdoors- camping, hiking, boating, water skiing and the seasonal trips to Oaklawn. They are thankful for the many hours shared with the family members that swimming has given them. They see their son, Cole as their greatest accomplishment.